It is well-known in the art to include various structures between components of a vehicle suspension to properly align the components and provide the proper ride height for the vehicle. For example, an upwardly extending weldment is typically located on an upper, rear portion of each trailing arm of the vehicle. The weldment provides a seat above the upper rear portion of the trailing arm on which an air spring assembly rests. Additionally, a spacer may be located between the weldment and the air spring. The spacer and weldment combination provides the proper ride height for the vehicle.
The weldment, however, suffers from several disadvantages. First, it adds weight to the suspension. Second, since it must be attached by welding, it adds to the cost of the suspension in terms of labor and materials. Third, it limits the ride height options that are available for a given suspension. For example, if the vehicle owner wants to change the ride height of the vehicle, the weldment must be ripped out and an entirely new weldment, designed to provide the desired ride height, must be installed.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a structure that was lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, inexpensive and easy to install and which made modifying the ride height of a vehicle easy.